Buenos Dias

Frida has enjoyed a run of good days. Her eyes are more comfortable–almost always open when she is moving about–but she isn’t seeing well. Her nose may meet a parked car or a tree if I don’t guide her elsewhere. Her eyes are very occluded. I’ve used that word for a week despite being unsure of its meaning. I just looked it and am happy I had it right–cloudy. They were somewhat so before the corneal ulcers and I can’t be sure they are more now, but she didn’t used to walk into things. Maybe more healing will help. This morning I left her in the yard without her mask, going commando in her present world, while I went inside to get her immunosuppressant (to help with tear production). She looked so regal that I had to grab a binocular pic.

I went to the liquor store to get passover wine and remembered to grab vermouth for Manhattans. This was a well stocked store so I took a moment to find a vermouth upgrade. With no knowledge and no time to search the net I grabbed the most expensive bottles of both sweet and dry and hoped for the best (at $18/bottle, it wasn’t a huge risk). Oddly, they were wrapped in tissue paper so I didn’t know much about what I was buying. I just guessed that the red tissue meant sweet and the green, dry. The clerk unwrapped them for scanning and I saw that I was getting Vya Extra Dry and Vya Sweet from Quady Winery in California. A brief search and I am off to the races in my vermouth and aperitif education. Better than reading, though, I should get to the tasting. Maybe tonight.

I recently enjoyed many hours on the sewing machine. A friend is setting up a darkroom and needed blackout curtains for the doorway. He provided the fabric and a schematic and I had at it. I took only one picture of what I believe to be the least artfully finished corner among the eight executed (and that one I improved after seeing the image close up). It was heavy fabric, just at the edge of the capacity of my machine (the rolled seam corners almost didn’t fit under the foot), so I stand by my work.

I finished them on Saturday (working from 4:30 am to 10:00 am) and he picked them up that afternoon. A bit of separation anxiety, but I can visit them. He will be printing some of my grandfather’s negatives to repay me. Negatives that have to my knowledge never been printed despite being developed roughly 95 years ago. Stay tuned for that.

I should go.

P.S. As I recall the story of the resurrection, the time between Jesus’ rising and the discovery of the empty tomb is unaccounted. What was He doing? It is not out of the question that as He walked along He removed sticks from the path so that dogs with vision impairment wouldn’t be poked in the eye. Rather than hide then hunt for eggs to celebrate His rising, venture to your yard and pick up pointy sticks. I am confident He would approve. At minimum, Frida would be thankful.